Whether your home is shabby chic, traditional, contemporary, or somewhere in between, you might enjoy decorating with antique mirrors for one of a kind decor.
You can give a new mirror an antique patina without the antique price tag.
Consider antiquing mirrored accessories, mirrored furniture, and wall mirrors.
This project will require paint stripper, old rags, a putty knife, dish soap, water, muriatic acid, a spray bottle, and paint.
photo courtesy of Jorge Barrios commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Venetian_Mirror.JPGRemove the Backing
Take your mirror to a well ventilated area.
Remove the mirror's frame and paper backing.
Put the mirror face down on a table covered in newspaper, cardboard, or another material that you can throw away.
Paint Stripper
Using paint stripper (making sure to follow all safety suggestions listed on the paint stripper packaging), remove the paint on the back of the mirror.
Rags and a putty knife will help in the paint removal.
You don't have to be totally perfect in your paint removal, but you should remove at least 90% of the paint.
Clean
Once the paint is removed, clean the mirror surface with dish soap and water.
Dry the surface using paper towels to make sure that the mirror is clean and dry.
Muriatic Acid
Put muriatic acid #ad in a clean spray bottle, making sure to follow all safety suggestions listed on the muriatic acid packaging.
Starting with a very light coat, spray the back of the mirror lightly with the acid starting at the corners and working inward.
The muriatic acid will eat through the silvering on the mirror, which should only take about one minute.
Make sure to not spray all of the mirror, just a bit here and there. The corners should be sprayed heavier than the inside since that is where antique mirrors are mostly aged.
After a minute or two, take a look at the front side of your mirror to see how it looks. Are you happy with the result and ready to stop or do you want more antiquing?
Keep spraying, waiting, and looking to get the result that you are after.
Clean Again
Once you are finished using the muriatic acid, clean the mirror surface with dish soap and water.
After it is clean, dry the back of the mirror with paper towels to make sure it is clean and dry.
Paint Back
Paint the back of your mirror with your desired paint color.
Keep in mind that the color you select will show through the antiqued spots.
Popular colors choices are black, antique gold, green, or silver.
You can even mix different colors (or lighter and darker values of the same color) to get your desired effect.
Spray paint or paint that is brushed on will work.
Start with a light coat of paint and keep adding light coats until you get your desired look.
Wait for the paint to dry then you are ready to use your mirror again.
To protect your mirror surface and keep the dust off, you might want to cover the back with a protective paper.
Other Articles You Might Like.....
How to Change a Shiny Gold Finish into an Antique Brass Finish
